Tony Parker: An MVP Canditate

By Paul Troupe

Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Blake Griffin are just a few of the names being thrown around for league MVP this season. All of them are great players and all are deserving, but I think there is someone whose name needs to be mention ahead of all of those.

Tony Parker, the point guard for the San Antonio Spurs, has been playing some of the best basketball in his career this season. He has been dominating defenses by not only scoring, but handing out assists at a fantastic rate. All of this is being done without, for the most part, Manu Ginobili playing.

Parker has been one of the best offensive players on the team this season. The Spurs are getting a lot of help from their bench, but it is their floor leader who is putting pressure on defenses with his quick pace and great hands.

Tony played February about as well as anyone in the league. So far he has averaged 24.6 points per game to go along with 8.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2.7 rebounds. Parker is also shooting nearly 84% from the free throw line, resulting in a few extra points per game.

So why does Tony Parker deserve an MVP? Take a look at what he has done versus top competition so far this season. Looking especially during the Spurs latest road wins streak, Parker started his streak off with 42 points and 9 assists against an overmatched Oklahoma City squad. He then went for 21 and 7 against Memphis, and followed that up with a 37 and 8 game against the Philadelphia 76’ers.

Throw in 34 points and 14 assists against the Raptors, one can make a case. He follow that game up with a 30 points, 10 assist game a couple nights later. A day off, then another huge performance against the Jazz, scoring 23 and handing out 11.

Parker averaged 24.6 points per game in January, adding to it another 8.5 assists per game. Not bad for a starter who is missing his top scoring player in Ginobili.

The Spurs have gotten to where they are because of Parker’s ability to get to the rim and make shots for others. He definitely deserves to be considered for MVP.